The 20 most terrifying movie psychopaths of all time

As Ted Bundy drama Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is released, we run through the scariest psychopaths ever depicted on screen

Olivia Rook
Sunday 05 May 2019 07:15 BST
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Some of the most fascinating characters in the history of film are psychopaths.

With an interest in true crime in full force, thanks to Netflix documentaries Making a Murderer and The Staircase, Joe Berlinger has adapted the story of serial killer Ted Bundy and translated it into a series (Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes) as well as brand new film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

The film, starring Zac Efron, charts the life of the notorious Bundy, who confessed to murdering 30 women through the 1970s before facing the electric chair in January 1989.

Many actors have breathed life into gruesome killers and sadistic maniacs and some of these characters have seen several stars deliver the best performances of their career (here's looking at you, Anthony Hopkins).

We have rounded up 20 of the best psychopaths in film – characters that have, between them, disembowelled a cop, boiled a bunny and bludgeoned a woman with a penis statue.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is available to watch on Sky Cinema now.

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